Coronavirus

United Airlines warned of an estimated $2.1 billion pre-tax loss in the 2020 first quarter (Q1) and said it plans to seek up to $4.5 billion in additional loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson is saying Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia will need government support if they are to survive the COVID-19 crisis and keep competition alive in markets that would otherwise become effective monopolies.

The Pentagon predicts there will be a three-month slowdown for major defense acquisition programs because of impacts related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

NORWEGIAN announced that its pilot and cabin crew companies in Sweden and Denmark filed for bankruptcy due to COVID-19.

AIR NEW ZEALAND is expected to keep its fleet of 16 777s grounded through April 2021.

BOEING resumed military rotorcraft production in Philadelphia after 2-week suspension due to COVID-19 (SPNWS; April 10).

AVIOINTERIORS, Italy has created two post-Coronavirus seat concepts to promote social separation: Janus triple with middle seat facing backwards and

WHITCRAFT is retooling some facilities to produce ventilators in partnership with University of Connecticut. It says following review of prototype, it

SHARING IN GROWTH (SiG) says seven beneficiaries, comprising EXCEL, HYDE, MARTIN AEROSPACE, NASMYTH BULWELL, NEMCO, PRODUMAX and SL ENGINEERING, were

CDB AVIATION reached agreement with Boeing to cancel 29 of its 99 737 MAXs on order, convert all MAX 10s on order (number undisclosed) to MAX 8s, and

BOEING completed its first COVID-19 transport mission, transporting 540,000 face masks on 737-700 from China to US in partnership with founder of

CORSAIR retired its remaining three 747-400s, accelerating plan to replace aircraft with A330-900s in Dec 2020-May 2021.

CAE recalled all 1,500 Canada-based laid-off employees and signed contract with Govt of Canada to manufacture 10,000 Air1 ventilators for delivery

HAECO CABIN SOLUTIONS launched cargo stowage devices for aircraft pax cabins.

National trade unions are protesting plans to lay off the entire South African Airways (SAA) workforce after the South African government declined to provide further financial support for the flag-carrier.

There remain many unan­swered questions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic’s long-term effects on society, trade and the global air transport industry

LCC AirAsia is targeting April 29 as the date it plans to restart domestic flights in Malaysia, followed by Thailand and the Philippines on May 1.

CAE, a Canadian manufacturer of aviation training simulators, is recalling temporarily laid-off employees as it plans to produce 10,000 ventilators to help in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The airline industry is the one industry upon which virtually every other indus­try depends to service its customers and grow its businesses. Likewise

American Airlines has become the latest carrier to request exemptions to minimum service rules under the CARES Act.

Zipline drones are delivering COVID-19 test samples collected from rural clinics in Ghana to laboratories in the capital Accra and Kumasi, the country’s second-largest city.

Welcome to Routes’ look at how the North American aviation market is responding to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, helping you understand the schedule changes and manage the impact so we can navigate through this crisis together.

Germany has informed the U.S. of its plans to order a fleet of Boeing Super Hornets to replace the Panavia Tornado, an April 19 De Spiegel news magazine report says.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and Subaru have suspended production of 787 components in response to Boeing’s earlier decisions, now partly reversed, to stop work on the program amid the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

Virgin Australia appears likely to enter voluntary administration this week amid the COVID-19 crisis as its options for acquiring the additional funding it needs have almost disappeared.